SFPD: 18-year-old arrested after threatening to shoot principal

David LynchNovember 30, 2017 05:16 PM

SANTA FE, N.M. – An 18-year-old has been arrested by Santa Fe police after he threatened to shoot the principal of Santa Fe High School. Tensions were already high for the community following mass shooting threats made against the school earlier this month.

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According to court documents, Alejandro Valle admitted to school security on Wednesday that he wanted to “follow him [the Santa Fe High School principal] home after school and shoot him with my AR-15.”

Valle told police he was agitated after Marano told him he couldn’t step on SFHS grounds to visit his girlfriend; Valle attended the nearby Early College Opportunities School, court documents state.

Valle later told police he didn’t mean what he said. Court documents state a .22-caliber rifle was found in Valle’s truck, and he was arrested for charges of unlawful carrying of a deadly weapon on school premises.

After the incident, school officials sent a message to parents of Santa Fe High School students saying they take all threats seriously and extra police officers would be on campus to continue their investigation of the incident.

“We appreciate the students for their cooperation in wearing their student IDs,” the message stated. “While this may seem trivial, it is part of a multi-layered approach we utilize to keep our students and staff safe.”

The threat by Valle was also made on the same day that a teen who threatened a mass shooting at Santa Fe High School was released on the condition he be kept under house arrest, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.